Thermometer shaker



Oct. 11, 1960 G. N. HEIN, JR

THERMOMETER SHAKER Filed Jan. 24, 1957 11,11 viril',

INVENTOR flag@ Ma, J:

www UW du ATTORNEYS "United States Patent rrranMoivrErER SHAKER George N. Hein, Jr., San Carlos, Calif., assignor to Becton, Dickinson and Company, Rutherford, NJ., a

corporation of New Jersey Filedfnnm, 1951, ser. No. 636,144

s claims. (ci. 7ss7s) invention relates to astructurally and functionally Cshaking device for use in Yconnection with thermometers :of the clinical type.

vBy means `of the lpresent teachings, a unit is furnished which may readily be employed by an unskilled person Tto assure -a rapid returnof the registering medium (such las :a mercury column) -of va clinical thermometer to an initial position. Accordingly it will not be necessary to resort to the usual technique of violently shaking a thermometerto assure areturn of its registering medium to `thedesired position.

A further lobject is that of furnishing a structure which vwill 'be-compact and of simple design. The parts thereof will be susceptible to yeconomical manufacture, and -furnish an 'assembly adequately housing and supporting fafthermometer 'to protect the same, andin which .those lparts may be readily extended with respect -to Veach other -'to-achieve 1the desired .shaking operation.

With these and other objects in mind reference is had 'ltoitheattachedsheet of drawing illustrating practical eml*.b'odirnents lof the invention, and in which:

Fig 1 isf-a side elevation of theshaking device with the thermometer in yhoused position;

Fig. 2 is allongitudinal sectional view/taken along the line y2`2 in the directionof the arrows as indicated .in

Fig. 3 is a "transverse sectional view in enlarged scale taken along the line 3--3 in the direction -of the arrows .as indicated in "Fig. 2;

Fi'g.1 4 is `a side .elevation of the parts, separated a maximum distance;

fFi'g. 5 iisanrenlarged fragmentary sectional view of a structure alternative to that shown in the preceding views; v Y

Fig. 6 jis la transverse sectional view taken along the line 6--6 in the direction of the Iarrowsvas indicated in Fig. 5;., Y

Fig. 'his 7a fragmentary plan view of a unit;

Fig. 8 isa fragmentary elevational -view of a portion of the housing, Iand showing the clip structure of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional Yview taken along the line" 9`9aas "indioatedin .FigQj Fig. 10 is =a perspective view of the clip and 9;

Fig. ll is a view similar to Figs. 3, 6 and 9, showing a still further form of structure; and

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary side view of a preferred design of clip and spring.

Referring primarily to Figs. 1 to 3, the numeral 15 indicates a casing having a substantially closed end 16. A cap 17 may close its other end and also serve as a support. Conveniently, these parts are manufactured of hard rubber, plastic or other similar material. Through the open end and into the bore of housing 15 the stem 18 of a clinical thermometer may be inserted with its bulb end 19 inwardly. So disposed, it conveniently engages with inwardly extending ribs or ns 20 which frictionally bear against it. The length of the thermom- Patented ocr. 11, raso ECC `eter---as shown-should preferably be such that with its `bulbl end in fully projected position, its outer end will extend beyond the :open housing, so that it may be gripped :by the fingers of the user and withdrawn from the latter.

According to the structure shown in Figs. l to 4 inelusive, housing 15 includes an integral boss portion 21 disposed adjacent the open end of the housing. That boss defines the zone .adjacent which a clip furnishing a :guiding structure is disposed. The clip conveniently in- :cludes arm portions 22 each. of arcuate shape and em- .bracinglthe annular faces of the housing 15. These arms are continued in the form of parts 23 disposed in parallelrelationship and `in intimate contact with the outer` .faces of I-boss 21. The arms are connected by a bridging .portion .24 Awhich Yis preferably inwardly bowed to extendtowards the :outer face of boss 21. The clip serves .as .a guide in that a strip 25 is interposed between its ibase 24 'and theradjacent outer face of the boss, and is urged by the former portion into frictional engagement :with .that face. 'This strip is preferably provided by dat :spring stock, :and rits length is such that it extends from a point :adjacent the end 16 of housing 14 to a point ad- "jacent 'the Vouter `surface of the mounting furnished by cap 17.

:nates in .a `bead 26 or rolled over portion. To furnish la stop the area of the latter is such that it will not pass through .the 'guiding structure furnished by the base 24 of the clip, and the kadjacent surface of the boss. Its op- At its formed or free end, strip 25 conveniently termilposite Zend, conveniently extends perpendicular to the axis ofthe assembly as indicated at 27. That end is formed fwith :anropening through which the body of a rivet 28 may .project tto permanently, and immovably secure the -strip against Vdetachment from that cap. While in the succeeding views, the same general attaching structure has been illust-rated, it will be appreciated that various alternatives may be resorted to, to prevent movement between the support furnished by cap member 17 and strip 25. As will also be noted, a rivet 29 may conveniently :be furnished to have its head extending beyond the outer surface of housing 15, at a rpoint underlying strip 25, and ladjacent boss 21.

As in Figs. 5 and 6, boss 21 may be eliminated. In 'lieu thereof, a :bolster plate 30 provided with inwardly "extending `end portions .31 :may be utilized. Those end `port-ions present arcuate edges bearing against the outer surf-ace of the housing. This plate is retained in posi- `tion by `preferably employing a clip structure embracing :larms 32 'similar to arms 22 in direct contact With the -outer "face of the housing, and extending thence parallel .to the outer :edges lof iend portions 31 to terminate ina libase .33. This fisinwardly extended to furnish `adequate vengagement kwith a strip 25, so that the latter is .fric- :tiona1lygripped.

the plates, the latter is furnis-hed with clips 36. Those clips receive and ret-ain in slidable association a strip 25. In Fig. ll, plates 37 corresponding to plates 34 are present. However in lieu of a base portion 35, an inwardly indented and channeled part .3S-39 is provided to receive and frictionally engage with strip 25.

In all of the foregoing forms, it is apparent that with the parts disposed in the positions shown in Figs. l and 2, a thermometer will be adequately housed. Under those circumstances, the free end of strip 25 will project beyond the guide structure furnished by the clip to provide a retaining member engaging the outer surface of the pocket when a user disposes the housing within that pocket. In this connection, the head of the rivet 29 or equivalent element will likewise assist to retain the parts. When it is desiredv to use the thermometer, this may readily be done by simply projecting the mounting member or supporting element provided by cap 17 to the full extent allowed by spring strip 25. Thereupon, the thermometer stem .18 may readily be withdrawn from the housing, and the thermometer used in accordance with conventional technique.

When it is desired to shake down the thermometer, all that is necessary `for the user to do is to reinsert the bulb end 19 of the thermometer through the open end of the housing to the position shown in, for example, Fig. 2. Under vibration of the thermometer, the support furnished by cap 17 is gripped between the fingers as shown in Fig. 4. Now, by swinging housing 15 in the direction of the exion characteristic of spring 25, the device will vibrate rapidly like a pendulum. That vibration might be likened to a straight Whipping action and due to the flat characteristic of strip 25, will occur through an arc in a single plane.`

In Fig. 12 a somewhat diagrammatic illustration of the clip, cap and strip structure has been resorted to. In that view, the numeral 40 designates a barrel-encircling or engaging portion which serves to retain the assembly in operative association with that barrel as in the earlier figures. Conveniently the outer end of the strip of spring steel 25 is angularly offset Kand secured by a rivet 28 to the cap 17. The encircling or mounting portions 40 are continued in the form of tabs 41 overlying and slidably engaging the upper surface of strip 25. Conveniently, the retaining structure 40 at points intermediate these tabs is indented as at 42 to prov-ide a detent. Under these circumstances, stri-p 25 is placed under a condition of tension so that it is bowed. With this flexing of the spring strip, the Ylatter utilizes its own tension, and inherent resiliency for frictional engagement with the tab structures 41 of the clip. By so utilizing the flexing of the spring strip through its longest axis, lasting frictional Contact is assured, and a structure furnished which will have a very long life. Also, the spring strip will be restrained against accidental movement longitudinally f the barrel.

It will be found, under vibration of the thermometer that the mercury or other registering medium of the thermometer will almost immediately return to its initial position. That position, of course, is adjacent the bulb end 19 of the stem. This will be true, despite the fact that frequently only a single initial exion or whip of the spring strip 25 has been resonted to after which the spring strip is allowed to vibrate the housing. Where necessary, this operation may be repeated. With the registering medium returned to its desired initial position, the cap 17 or equivalent element providing the support is mounted adjacent the open end of the housing. Under those circumstances, spring strip 25 will be projected as shown in Figs. l and 2 to lie immediately adjacent the outer face of the housing, and substantially parallel to the axis of the same. So disposed, it will retain cap 17 against accidental detachment from the housing. The device may now again be reapplied to the material of the users pocket if desired.

Thus among others, the several objects of the invention as specifically aforenoted are achieved. Obviously numerous changes in construction and rearrangement of the parts may be resorted `to without departing from the spirit of the invention as deiined by the claims.

I claim:

1. A thermometer shaker, including in combination a housing having an open end through which the bulb and stem of a thermometer are insertable to retain the same, a support to be gripped between the fingers and to normally lie adjacent the open end of said housing, and a substantially at spring connected to said housing to be slidable axially thereof, means limiting such sliding movement and said spring having an outer end xedly connected to said support to limit the amount the latter may be spaced from the open end of said housing; the length of said spring being substantially equal to the length of said housing to support the latter for vibratory movement.

2. In a thermometer shaker as dened in claim l, the connection between said spring and housing including a guide aixed to the latter and said guide slidably embracing said spring.

3. A thermometer shaker assembly including in combination a housing having one open end and presenting a bore to receive and retain a clinical thermometer, a cap closing the end of said housing, a spring strip having a length substantially equal to that of the housing and tixedly connected at one of its ends to said cap, a guide mounted by said housing at a point adjacent its open end, said strip being supported by said guide solely for sliding movements parallel to the housing axis, and means adjacent the opposite end of said strip and engageable with said guide to limit -axial movements of said strip and cap with respect to said housing to a point where said strip extends beyond the open end of said housing and supports the latter for vibratory movements.

4. In a thermometer shaker as defined in claim 3, means forming a part of said assembly and providing for frictional engagement of relatively movable parts thereof to retard axial movements of said strip with respect to said housing.

5. In a thermometer shaker as defined in claim 2, means forming a part of said guide to place the spring under a condition of ltension Iand flex the same, and said spring thereby ifrictionally engaging with portions of said guide.

References Cited n the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

